Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) won its challenge to two Abbott Laboratories (ABT) patents on antibodies that help curb the effects of the painful skin disease psoriasis. A federal jury in Worcester, Massachusetts, today said the patent claims were invalid. U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor had ruled in March that J&J’s Stelara drug infringed the patents. Had the jury found in Abbott’s favor, the case would have proceeded to determine how much J&J should pay. The patents in the case are for human antibodies that control a substance called interleukin-12, or IL-12, that regulates the immune system. Overproduction of the substance triggers an overactive immune system response, which in turn causes excess skin cells that pile up and form painful and disfiguring plaques, according to the complaint.